The Good, The Bad & The Lovely

Byrd Style Lounge (8117 Maryland Ave., 314-721-0766) is spreading its wings nationally through a new partnership with SNOBSWAP.com, a luxury consignment website that helps shoppers buy, sell or swap gently used designer items. Through this collaboration, Byrd hopes to make its high-end collection available to a wider clientele.

“We have a lot of clients from New York, L.A. and Dallas,” said Julie Stotlar, owner of Byrd. “We were seeking out different avenues in addition to our website. SNOBSWAP seemed to have the same kind of client culture, so it made sense to partner with them.”

Although Byrd has a wide selection available in-store, many of its high-ticket items also are listed on SNOBSWAP. This includes pieces from Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Chanel, Gucci, Cartier and more. Many of these items are handbags and accessories, which are easier to sell online because of their one-size-fits-all nature.

Stotlar’s collection is carefully curated. She estimates that Byrd accepts only 8 percent of the items brought in for consignment. In addition, many of the items available at Byrd are brand-new.

“One thing that excited me about Byrd is that Julie [Stotlar] has access to the best closets in St. Louis. We want to offer the best of the best to our customers,” says Elise Whang, CEO of SNOBSWAP.

Whang and her sister, Emily Dang, launched SNOBSWAP in April 2012. The venture was inspired by Whang’s search for a pre-owned Chanel bag. The sisters wanted to create a place where shoppers could choose from merchandise at shops around the country. The website also offers a personal shopping feature, which will notify users when items become available that match their desired brand, category or size.

“Online consigning is a growing trend that’s here to stay,” Whang commented. “It’s a great way to recycle and save money on designer items.”

Visit Byrd’s listing to see the highlights of the boutique’s current collection.